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Natasha Khan recommended Negro Prison Blues and Songs by Alan Lomax in Music (curated)

 
Negro Prison Blues and Songs by Alan Lomax
Negro Prison Blues and Songs by Alan Lomax
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I first heard Alan Lomax's work while I was at university. I did music with visual art and film, but luckily at that time, it was just before this tutor left that had run it for 25 years, and he was quite old school but great because it was still fairly shambolic as a course and there was some good soulful stuff. Alan Lomax did lots and lots of field recordings around America and archived folk, blues and negro music and porchstep music. This particular album is when he went to Mississippi and Louisiana state penitentiaries and documented the prisoners as they were working in cotton fields. They've got music in their blood and that's what came through, I think. It's just absolute badass, amazing rhythms and there's a sort of sex to the music - they're singing about [sings] "be my woman and I'll be your man!", because they're obviously randy as hell and stuck in a fucking prison and working under really difficult conditions in the heat. There are different tracks where you can hear a load of axes and chains, and they would sing along to the axes hitting the stone, choirs of beautiful voices of men. 'Old Alabama's a really good one and 'Rosie' and what's so interesting is that I would listen to that and instantly there'd be a spider diagram going out. PJ Harvey on To Bring You My Love's 'Goodnight', she just stands there with a stick and hits it and there's a guy doing slide guitar. Moby, embarrassingly, sampled loads of it for free. Nick Cave and loads of artists I've loved, you just see bits of it in their music, it's that deep, dark, gothic soul, blues music. This is the raw, concentrated, original bit. There's a kind of spiritual rawness to it, they're spiritual songs about missing love and family. "I'll spend the rest of my days in these four stone walls." The fact that this mad white guy from somewhere decided to go and capture all of these voices - I know there are a lot of rights issues surrounding Alan Lomax, but I think just in terms of being an archivist, I think a lot of that stuff would've been completely lost, so it's great."

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ClareR (5632 KP) rated Bone China in Books

Aug 19, 2019  
Bone China
Bone China
Laura Purcell | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics, Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Bone China by Laura Purcell is a gothic novel set in Cornwall. Hester Why has travelled to Cornwall to take up a post as a Lady’s maid - and also to escape her past. But if she thinks she’s going to have an easy time of it, she has another thing coming! Morvoren House has its own secrets, not helped by the very strange Creeda, who believes that fairies will spirit Miss Rosewyn (the ward of Miss Pinecroft, the elderly woman that Hester is looking after) away.

We also get to see some of Hester’s past before Cornwall - and the reason why she has ended up in Morvoren House; and that of Louise, some 40 years before Hester’s arrival.

Unsurprisingly, bone china features prominently in this story, and I was delighted to hear the story of the willow pattern again - a story that my own grandmother used to tell me when showing me her willow pattern tea service.

Louise’s story tells of the time after her mother and siblings have died of phthisis (or tuberculosis), and her father, who was a doctor, deciding that he will find a cure for it. Prisoners from the local prison are kept in caves beneath the house, the theory being that the fresh air would strengthen their lungs. I know! Horrifying!!

I didn’t find the jumping between timelines at all confusing, and I really enjoyed the way it did this. The unreliability of Hester’s narrative due to gin and laudanum was also really well done. I never knew if what was happening was due to the gin, laudanum, actual reality or the fairies!

And the landscape and sights of Cornwall were beautifully described. I love Cornwall - it’s one of my most favourite places. The rawness of the coast is a pleasure to read about, and instantly took me to the cliffs by the sea.

I tried to make this book last longer, but had no luck at all because I was desperate to know what was going to happen! And that ending - I’m still in shock!!!!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this completely absorbing book! It was a pleasure to read.
  
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Debbiereadsbook (1119 KP) rated Trust Me in Books

Feb 20, 2022  
Trust Me
Trust Me
Kelly Irvin | 2022 | Contemporary, Mystery
6
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
a bit too much, for ME!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I received my copy of this book via Netgalley.

I'm not 100% how I feel about this book, so I'll try to explain (which is not always possible!)

I liked the premise of this book. Delaney's boyfriend was sent to prison for the manslaughter of her brother. He maintained his innocence throughout. The day of his release, she finds her best friend killed the same way, and Hunter is now prime suspect. What follows is a race to not only prove Hunter's claim, but to prevent any more deaths.

I liked that we hear from more than just Delaney and Hunter. I do like to hear from everyone.

I liked the suspense aspect. I wasn't fully certain whodunnit, til it was revealed in the book.

It is a bit violent, with the death discoveries being described in detail. I did think that was appropriate though, for the most part, for this book.

It is clean. I didn't mind that. I do prefer my books on the more explicit side, but I'm big enough to say when a book does not need it.

It does drag a bit, between about 40 to 70% and I very nearly dumped it, but I wanted to know how it would all turn out.

And we come to my biggest issue. I'm quite happy to read Christian books, religious characters, deeply faithful or mindly thoughtful about higher powers. But this book takes the references to God and faith and belief a little bit too far, FOR ME. It felt like, at least every page had a reference to God or faith. A bit like it was shoving it down my throat. It really was, for ME, too much. I stress this point, this is MY OPINION, and how I felt about it.

This is the first I've read of this author. Will I read more? Probably not. A quick search shows a back list of religious themed books, and if they are anything like this one, I won't like it.

So, because of the major dragging bit, and because of the constant God/faith thing . . .

3 stars